Tree list fingers roots of despair

A list of shady characters likely to be seen on the streets of South Wairarapa has been drawn up.
The South Wairarapa District Council has approved a list of trees for street planting that will supply suitable shade, filter the wind and add oxygen to the atmosphere.
So, in this instance the shady characters are in fact the good guys.
Likewise the council has settled on a list of trees _ many of which were used for street planting in earlier, less informed days _ to be banned from future street planting programmes.
Included on the outlawed list are London plane trees, which grace many streets as mature trees but require time-consuming and expensive pruning.
Other outlaws are sycamores, with their troublesome seed pods; laburnum, poisonous seeds; camellia and lemonwood, visibility problems; walnut, dropping nuts; and mayten, too many suckers.
Trees that have been given the nod as being suitable for core planting in streets includes many that grow smaller and therefore do not interfere with overhead power lines.
On the favoured list are silk tree, mountain ash, lancewood, Judas tree, Chilean fire bush, paperbark birch, Western Australian peppermint, honey locust, juniper myrtle and kowhai.
The council's planner, Shelagh Noble, who prepared the street trees policy, said it was done to enhance the image of South Wairarapa towns and streets while minimising negative effects.
''Trees provide shade, filter the wind and add oxygen,'' she said.
''They help filter fumes and lessen traffic noise and can also frame and direct lines of sight.''
Now that the policy has been formally approved by the council, new street plantings will be chosen from the approved list with single species planting along streets.
People living in Martinborough, Featherston and Greytown are to be encouraged to plant street trees as a ''community initiative'', with trees selected from the approved list.
Also forming part of the new policy is a tree protection clause and an expert is to be called in to do an evaluation when a tree is regarded as being a Notable Tree.
Any work to be done on Notable Trees will only be allowed to be carried out by a council-approved, qualified arborist.